## Metadata - Author: [[Thea Flowers]] - Full Title: A Reply to Josef Průša - Category: #articles - URL: https://blog.thea.codes/a-reply-to-josef-prusa/ ## Highlights - At the end, Josef shares that he's chosen not to open source the electronics for the MK4 *yet*[1](https://blog.thea.codes/a-reply-to-josef-prusa/#fn:not-open-source) and calls for the establishment and adoption of a new, highly restrictive license. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hhxmymv24kx1k9q5razm1mmj)) - Note: This was prescient of the Hashicorp BSL license drama. - All of this is to say that **open source has absolutely nothing to do with being cloned**. Open source licenses will not save you, copyright won't save you[4](https://blog.thea.codes/a-reply-to-josef-prusa/#fn:us-copyright), patents will not save you: **if you have a successful product it will get cloned**. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hhxmtn7pvn4h8jmxrzjgay4c)) - The Fender Stratocaster is an icon in part because of its proliferation across companies meant that an entire ecosystem of custom parts, modifications, repair shops, and even innovative new designs could flourish. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hhxmw9tn4mnzk9v9ktv1e3mh)) - Open hardware succeeds through continuous evolution and innovation alongside its community and ecosystem. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hhxmwpesh4q0pr582znkxkez)) - I would've thought that a company run by someone who literally slaps their name on everything[5](https://blog.thea.codes/a-reply-to-josef-prusa/#fn:oh-god-why) would understand that they aren't selling printers - they're selling a **brand**. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hhxmxrb5yaaqr1wv5554r2s5)) - How do you sell an abstract concept like a "open source" brand? Your brand is the combination of your principles, goals, and ideals reified through leadership. You don't actually sell a brand, you build a community with people who believe in you and share your goals. Your physical goods are a byproduct, a means to an end that exist only to empower the community and further its goals. *Adoption* is your key metric, not *revenue*. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hhxmy4j4690zdf7z39003ade))